All Hail the Magical Spirits That Possess This Automated Chessboard

Human-computer chess matches have officially gone offline

By Evan Bleier

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When Raymond Chandler said that chess “is as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you can find outside an advertising agency,” he might’ve had a valid point.

Counterpoint: this chessboard.

Billed as the “world’s smartest” chessboard, the Square Off allows you to play against an AI opponent or another human while the pieces seamlessly, automatedly move about the board in real time.

Designed to combine the ease and variability of online games with the timeless experience of sitting down with an actual opponent, the Square Off can link with an app so that even if the person you’re playing doesn’t have one of the automated boards, you can still use yours. As an added feature, the Square Off also offers a streaming mode that allows you to watch live matches being played by grandmasters unfold in front of your eyes.

While the technology that controls the self-moving pieces has only been used on the Square Off at this point, there’s no reason it couldn’t be used to build smart boards for other classic games.

"Square off is not just a revolution in the field of chess, but it’s about to change the world of board gaming,” Bhavya Gohil, the CEO of the firm behind Square Off, told the Chess News.